Hatteras Fever II wins Big Rock

The crowd watches as Hatteras Fever II’s winning 465.3-pound blue marlin was pulled onto the dock at the weigh station in the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament. The big blue was caught on Wednesday and withstood a last-day onslaught that saw more than 30 blue marlin released on Saturday to capture the 55th tournament.

Chuck Beckley/The Daily News

By Staff reports-The Daily News

Published: Saturday, June 15, 2013 at 04:05 PM.

MOREHEAD
CITY
— Hatteras Fever II had to sweat it out on the final day, but the Buxton-based boat is the winner of the 55th Big Rock Blue Marlin tournament.

Hatteras Fever’s 465.3-pound catch on Wednesday stood up to a NASCAR-like shootout on the ocean Saturday in which all but one of the 100 boats fished.

And while there were more than 30 blue marlin caught on the final day, they were all released because they didn’t meet the minimum qualifying standards for the tournament of 400 pounds or 110 inches.

The winning fish is the smallest to win the prestigious six-day event since 1995 when Sea Striker earned the victory with a 440-pound big blue.

It was no doubt an anxious day for Hatteras Fever II and its crew because of the full field of boats as well as it was as good a day to fish as there had been all week.

The first blue marlin was released just 19 minutes after lines were allowed in the water at 8 a.m. And as of 2 p.m. when lines were officially out of the water for the final time at this year’s Big Rock, three boats were hooked up, including Blue Magic at 1:59.

Crack of Dawn had been hooked up the longest of the trio — since 12:13 — while Reel Dreams was at 1:08.

MOREHEAD CITY — Hatteras Fever II had to sweat it out on the final day, but the Buxton-based boat is the winner of the 55th Big Rock Blue Marlin tournament.

Hatteras Fever’s 465.3-pound catch on Wednesday stood up to a NASCAR-like shootout on the ocean Saturday in which all but one of the 100 boats fished.

And while there were more than 30 blue marlin caught on the final day, they were all released because they didn’t meet the minimum qualifying standards for the tournament of 400 pounds or 110 inches.

The winning fish is the smallest to win the prestigious six-day event since 1995 when Sea Striker earned the victory with a 440-pound big blue.

It was no doubt an anxious day for Hatteras Fever II and its crew because of the full field of boats as well as it was as good a day to fish as there had been all week.

The first blue marlin was released just 19 minutes after lines were allowed in the water at 8 a.m. And as of 2 p.m. when lines were officially out of the water for the final time at this year’s Big Rock, three boats were hooked up, including Blue Magic at 1:59.

Crack of Dawn had been hooked up the longest of the trio — since 12:13 — while Reel Dreams was at 1:08.

Crack of Dawn finally brought its blue marlin to the boat shortly before 4 p.m. but it measured 99 inches, 11 inches shy of the qualifying length, and opted not to bring it to the weigh station, according to what the boat told Big Rock officials on the radio.